Join the Cast of a Broadway Musical
A full production for adults of all levels in Noe Valley, San Francisco
No experience required | Professional Educational Director, Music Director, & Choreographer
Placement Auditions December 6th
Everyone Registered Gets In
We’d love to have you in our Spring 2027 Cast- It will sell out FAST so we recommend registering early.
“Being part of the Damato Performance school was truly a dream come true.
Having the opportunity… gave me the chance to reconnect with my passion for musical theatre — something I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to feel again while juggling a full time job.”
- Georgia | Mainstage Musical 2026
If you’ve ever thought “I’d love to be in a musical (again)” this is your moment.
Whether you’ll be performing in a musical for the first time or coming back to being a ‘theater kid’ after years- you are welcome here.
Throughout our rehearsal process you’ll get the full theater experience- You’ll learn the score, drill choreography, rehearse with a cast- all with a production process and rehearsal schedule designed for working adults.
The best of community theater + theater school- put together.
DAMATO adopts the conservatory model: believing that professionally-guided performance practice is essential to any performer's education.
Instead of being an entirely volunteer-led community theater, DAMATO has 5 paid leadership roles: director, choreographer, music director, operations coordinator, and producer.
This enables us to facilitate an excellent experience for our actors and massive community of volunteers, while putting on high level performances.
Program Snapshot
1. Registration: First come, first served. Everyone who signs up gets in and can then schedule their placement audition 😊
2. Kick-Off Party: Friday December 4th @7:00pm. Games, Names, Introductions- come meet everyone else in the cast and crew! 🥂
3. Placement Auditions: Sunday, December 6th & Sunday, December 13th Our auditions are low-stress and our creative team is very friendly (and rooting for you!) 😊
4. Rehearsals: Mondays & Thursdays 6:30 - 9:00pm + Monthly Sundays at DAMATO Studio in Noe Valley, SF. This doesn’t mean you’ll have rehearsal all of these times, unless you are the main lead(s). However, we ask the full cast to keep these times available until each weekly rehearsal schedule is confirmed
5. Performances: TBD- May 27-30th or June 3rd-6th. Performance Location TBD. Announcement by October.
“Brennan, McKenna, Kathryn, Jessica, and every single person I had the pleasure of learning from and working with, created a space filled with support, dedication, and SO much heart.
I learned so much, grew as a performer, and gained memories and a community I will never forget.”
- Georgia | Mainstage Musical 2026
Meet the Team
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Brennan Pickman-Thoon
DIRECTOR
Brennan is a director, actor, writer, teaching artist, and proud Bay Area native. He graduated with honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a BFA in Drama and trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
As a teaching artist, Brennan is a faculty member with A.C.T. and a private acting coach, with a background in teaching everything from Shakespeare to Improvisation to On-Camera Acting to Devised Theater. SFBATCC Winner: Actor In A Leading Role. Member, AEA.
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Kathryn Aarons
CHOREOGRAPHER
Kathryn is a performer, choreographer, and teaching artist from the Bay Area she earned her BA in Musical Theatre from California State University, Chico and moved to NYC after college and continued studying dance at Steps & BDC.
Kathryn is an Equity actress and has performed in numerous regional productions across the country, and has been lucky enough to serve as Dance Captain on a handful of them.
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McKenna Troy
FOUNDER, PRODUCER & MUSIC DIRECTOR
McKenna is a full-time vocal coach with a national client base, trained in Vocal Performance at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, and experienced performing in Europe and the U.S. She specializes in evidence-based vocal technique for adult singers and is known for her engaging teaching style.
When not vocal coaching or music directing, McKenna serves as the founder and artistic director of DAMATO Performance School.
What’s Included
• A fully mounted musical production
Costumes, staging, lights, props, sound, and a creative team for the full rehearsal process.
• Professional direction & coaching
A director, choreographer, and music director who have extensive performance and education experience
• Regular rehearsals (1-3x a week)
Focused sessions that build vocal, acting, and movement confidence.
• 5 Sunday “bootcamp” rehearsals
Extended rehearsals to stage and refine major numbers.
• A performance venue
Share the stage with a cast of adults who have grown alongside you.
• Dancer and ‘I don’t dance’-friendly choreography for different parts of the ensemble + roles
Accessible pacing, taught step-by-step with patience and clarity.
• Opportunity to be cast for all lead roles
If you want more stage time, please audition—we’re looking for talent.
• A welcoming, supportive community & culture
You’ll never be expected to “already know.” We teach everything.
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No. Many performers in this program are returning after years away or are building skills for the first time. Everything is taught step by step, and there are plenty of ensemble roles available for building your theater skills.
However, if you are looking for a more educational / lesson based musical theater experience, we would recommend enrolling in our Broadway Lab program instead of the Mainstage Musical.
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Ohh yes. This cast is made up of adult performers who love musical theater and are varying levels of ‘theater kid’ at heart- aka most of us are a little quirky in our own ways and extremely accepting of everyone in the community.
Our Mainstage Musical program has built in socials and activities for welcoming in new members- and we make it our personal priority that everyone feel as safe, comfortable, and valued in this community as much as possible.
DAMATO Culture is absolutely not cutthroat and competitive by design. Because everybody is registering and committing to the show before casting, we know that everyone in our cast is here primarily for the community and to make awesome theater together- not to be a diva.
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It’s totally normal (and okay) to be nervous. However, you will have a chance to meet everyone in the cast and crew at our kickoff party- so by placement auditions you’ll already know a lot of friendly faces in the waiting room. Our auditions are also very low stress- everyone on the creative team is rooting for you. We just want to see everyone perform so we can place you in the show where you’ll shine the most.
If you’re out of practice- you’ll get back into a practice rhythm quickly with the pace of this show. This show will require at home practice- but we will walk everyone through effective practice methods and have a lot of helpful tools to make practicing easy and accessible for all levels!
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Totally fine. There are plenty of dancing and very-little-to-no dancing roles in the show.
Choreography is built around the skill level of our cast for a wide range of comfort levels. Plenty of our cast members have never danced before or consider themselves non dancers. Plenty more of our cast are serious dancers who are put in roles where they can flex their talents.
Clear direction, roles with different levels of dancing, and lots of practice / repetition mean you’ll always know what to do onstage.
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You’re welcome here. Everything—from music to staging to character work—is taught clearly and intentionally, with coaching designed for adult learners. If you’d like a more educational experience (with lessons built in) we’d recommend taking our other musical theater program, Broadway Performance Lab, first.
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We encourage adults of all ages to join- 18 - 118! Everyone is here because they genuinely love musical theater and want to connect with eachother. We love our intergenerational community.
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We strongly recommend as little absences as possible- ideally none. You will receive a conflict sheet before auditions to clarify your availability in advance. It is important that you are as available as possible. This will be strongly considered in casting. If multiple absences were not recorded and come up after casting, it will be noted and considered in future opportunities with the DAMATO Mainstage.
If you do have an absence (unforseen illness, occasional necessary absence) we record all blocking and choreography and upload it to a shared Google Drive you can review and practice anytime.
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Placement auditions take place after you enroll. Upon registration and payment, you will receive a link in your email to schedule your vocal placement audition. This will be a 10 minute time slot on Sunday, December 6th.
A full cast dance placement audition and callbacks for principal roles will be on Sunday December 13th. Details will be included in your registration confirmation.
You will receive short audition cuts from the show with tracks to prepare for vocal auditions as well as a description of what we’re looking for.
The process is very supportive, low-stress, and adult-friendly. There are no refunds based on casting.
FAQs
Have any other questions? Wondering if the program is a good fit for you? We’re happy to chat- Send us an email.
The Only Musical Theater Program in SF that Combines High-Level Instruction with a Fully Staged, Designed & Produced Performance Weekend
Tuition Includes
100 - 200 hours of instruction / rehearsal— depending on role size ($x - $x per hour of class)
3 Creative professionals instructing you
2-4 Fully staged performances (TBD)— lighting design, stage management, playbills, theater rental
Community building and cast bonding activities built in to the rehearsal process.
scholarships for adults with demonstrated financial need available- Email us to learn about our application process
$TBD / Month
Not Yet Enrolling
Class sells out quickly.
Registration tiers fill on a first-come, first-served basis. Our first tier filled record fast, so we recommend reserving your spot early.
Slisding scale scholarships for adults with financial need available- Email us and you’ll hear back with our requirements / an application in 24 hours.
Tuition
Join early before we sell out! ☀️